


The Karasuno Kitchen Crows

by PuellaScribit



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cooking, M/M, cooking au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-12 16:59:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2117745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuellaScribit/pseuds/PuellaScribit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cooking AU! The Karasuno Kitchen Crows are recruiting, and dreaming of the Food Channel. Tsukiyama bakes cute desserts, and Yamaguchi attempts entrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

In a small apartment was a couch. On the couch lay a blond-haired boy, lazily flipping through a magazine as music blared through his headphones. His peace was quickly interrupted.

“Hey, Tsukki!” The door was unceremoniously flung open. There was only one person who would - or even could - barge into the apartment uninvited. With a well-practiced sigh, Tsukishima Kei sat up and stared at the intruder. “What is it, Yamaguchi?”

“Look at this!” A flyer was thrust in his face, something about an audition, or a test, for…

“Cooking?”

Yamaguchi nodded excitedly.

“Why cooking?”

The smaller boy rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Tsukki, you don’t give yourself enough credit! You’re a genius at cooking. Your souffles are incredible!”

Tsukishima gave another sigh - a trademark of their friendship, it seemed. “First of all, that’s baking, not cooking. While I doubt any losers could keep up with my desserts, they’ll crush me at cooking. Besides, I don’t really care about this competition stuff.”

Yamaguchi let a small smile slip onto his face at the hastily added testimony of apathy - a mask Tsukki had worn for far too long. “You should still try!”

The blond affected a look of boredom. “Not interested, Tadashi.” He knew that his brown-haired friend would soften at the use of his first name and leave him alone.

Sure enough, Yamaguchi left the apartment with a final hopeful glance.

 _I thought he’d never stop bugging me about that._ The two had been friends since grade school - occasionally reluctantly on Tsukishima’s part - and now went to the same university. Yamaguchi had insisted on renting an apartment in Tsukishima’s building, thus providing him with unlimited access to bother Tsukishima whenever he wanted. The blond couldn’t remember why he’d ever thought it would be a good idea to give his friend the spare apartment key.

_Oh yeah. The food._

They’d both gotten involved in their high school cooking class, and despite Yamaguchi’s attempts at following his friend into dessert-making, Tsukishima had forced him - for the idiot’s own good - to pursue entrees instead. They were probably easier on the boy’s psychological safety, as competing against his revered friend would place limits on his success. Not that Tsukishima had given this extensive thought at all, or cared much for his friend’s well-being.

Although they were only college first-years, they’d elected to stay in private apartments (mainly for the private kitchens). Tsukishima rarely wished to expend the energy to make himself a whole meal, and would consistently survive on a mix of cupcakes and souffles if Yamaguchi didn’t rush in to whip up a nutritious meal. Necessity - and only necessity - had dictated that Tsukishima relinquish his key.

Drawn from his thoughts by an orange gleam on his counter, he stood lazily and sauntered to examine it.

_Cooking Competition Welcoming Contestants! Win a spot on the Karasuno Kitchen Crows and a shot at the NATIONAL COOKING CONTEST, airing on Japan’s illustrious Food Channel! Only four victors can advance! Visit[www.karasunokitchen.co.jp/contest](http://www.crowscooking.co.jp/contest) for more info._

Tsukishima snorted. Him, on a cooking team? On national television? It was so tempting, so utterly tantalizing, that he forcefully laughed it off with more disdain than usual. He didn’t really feel like it anyways, made sure he didn't really feel like anything these days. Despite himself, he checked the application deadline - two days from now. _Good,_ he thought. _Less time for Tadashi to pathetically travail at convincing me._

  **...**

Two floors up and four doors down, a freckled face creased into a frown. “Two days,” sighed Yamaguchi. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with an idea and a smile slid onto his face. _Two days can be a lot of time._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima is emotionless, and Yamaguchi knows why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: beware of angst.

Tsukishima had barely stepped foot outside his last class when he was bombarded by a brown-haired menace. Yamaguchi, as usual, did not know how to shut up.

“Tsukki! You are going to sign up for this cooking contest. I know you’ll be good because there’s a dessert section in it too, and you’re amazing at that, right Tsukki? And before you say no, I’m joining too.”

He paused for a breath, looking suddenly apprehensive, realizing belatedly that nobody ever told Tsukishima Kei what to do. Trembling but with a rarely heard steel in his voice, Yamaguchi continued. “You always… you always tell me to find something I like, to try something. And I’m going to try this. Even though I’m terrible at it like you always say, I’ll still try it. But only if you do.”

The blond peered down at Yamaguchi through black-rimmed glasses, inscrutable eyes briefly flashing with a question - _Tadashi, what has gotten into you? Since when did you have a backbone?_ \- before settling back into their calm pools of indifference.

“Yamaguchi, you need to learn to shut up -”

Yamaguchi’s face fell into shadow so briefly that Tsukishima almost missed it as he blinked. “Oh. Right, Tsukki…”

“- But I’ll do it.”

A light almost exploded on Yamaguchi’s face as an enormous grin illuminated his features. “Yes! Tsukki, I knew you would! Thanks so much!” He sidled up to Tsukishima, hesitating for a fraction of a second, before wrapping an arm around the taller boy’s midsection. Then he was off, scampering down the hallway with barely stifled excitement.

Tsukishima stood stock still, staring at the dwindling speck as it disappeared down the hall. _Was that… Did he… did he just hug me?_ The urge to laugh bubbled to the forefront of his mind before its hasty burial under the strange looks he was getting.

As he walked back to his apartment, another thought floated across his mind. _What have I gotten myself into?_

. . .

Yamaguchi collapsed onto his couch, trembling fingers shoving his keys onto the coffee table. He had never - except for maybe once in high school - had the courage to confront his imposing friend. Until now.

Shaking fingers wiped glistening droplets sweat from his brow. He raised a hand to his eyes to inspect the moisture, and was forcefully reminded  of Tsukishima’s tears several months ago.

_He had walked in as usual, no knock on the door, but stopped in the doorway at the sight that greeted his eyes. Curled on the couch, Tsukishima was sobbing._

_Yamaguchi had never dealt with a crying Tsukki before - his friend was much too strong, too composed, too damn perfect to shed so much as a single tear - and the sight was so foreign that he wondered whether he’d really woken up that morning._

_“T-Tsukki?” His voice was tentative with its goddamned tremor._

_Tsukishima’s body jackknifed as he hurriedly wiped his tears and jerked to yell at the intruder, but his eyes widened at his friend. His mouth, ready to fire a retort, shut with an audible clack._

_Wordless, Yamaguchi inched closer and perched awkwardly on the couch’s armrest. Tsukki was showing weakness, and it was terrifying._

_“Yamagu - Tadashi.” Tsukki’s tone was flat, with only the faintest edge to it. Yamaguchi had to grudgingly admire Tsukki’s composure, even in the midst of a breakdown. “My b-brother… Akiteru…”_

_Tsukishima was choking up again, and Yamaguchi squeezed next to him on the couch, prying a crumpled paper from his friend’s clenched fists. He squinted at the tear-stained ink, attempting to make out the official font._

We regret to inform you…

_Oh._

_Yamaguchi kept reading, feeling his eyes start to burn._

_WHY did this have to happen -_

“...cooking accident…”

_\- why did this happen to beautiful Tsukki_ _-_

“...fire…”

_\- to beautiful Tsukki who loved his brother so so_ so _much_ -

“...passed away…”

_\- to Tsukki who would DIE for his brother but oh how ironic, he really didn’t have to anymore -_

_“He was cooking.” Tsukishima’s voice punctured Yamaguchi’s internal babbling, his tone so icy that Yamaguchi’s tears stopped as if frozen._

_“Cooking.” Through a haze of tears, Yamaguchi could tell that Tsukishima’s face was hard, harder than he’d ever seen it, and so old as if he’d grown a thousand years in a thousand seconds._

_“Akiteru loved cooking.” The voice was so monotone, even for Tsukki, that Yamaguchi couldn’t bear it._

_“He loved it… loved it too much.” No, no, NO, Tsukki was retreating into himself, thinking the wrong thoughts, but Yamaguchi was so fucking weak and couldn’t do anything but cry - he always talked too much, except for when he needed to talk; why was he so useless - and embrace Tsukki’s wooden body as all remnants of passion fled from Tsukki’s hardening heart. Tears were on both their cheeks, gleaming tauntingly, too beautiful for such a sad scene, and Yamaguchi wondered whether tears should be made of blood so that people could see how much you were really breaking inside._

Hastily wiping tears aside _(was he really crying, just from a memory?),_ Yamaguchi felt a renewal of purpose. _This_ was why he needed Tsukki to compete again. Tsukishima was sinking so far into his passionless lifestyle that Yamaguchi was beginning to drown in the sting of Tsukki's apathy. He couldn’t exactly piece together the deeper parts of Tsukishima’s psyche, but all he knew was that Tsukki needed to cook again, to really enjoy something again...

_To learn to love again,_ Yamaguchi thought to himself, and the “me” in that sentence was carefully ignored.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One unlikely duo meets another; Mom and Dad make an appearance. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima face the cooking test.

Tsukishima slammed his alarm clock with enough force to break bone. Gritting his teeth, he slid reluctantly out of bed, hoping Yamaguchi wouldn’t barge in and see him in his pajamas (otherwise known as boxers). The last time had been much too awkward - why was Yamaguchi so naive?

As if on cue, Yamaguchi burst into the apartment, sunlight framing his figure like a herald from the heavens. “The time has come, Tsukki!” he cried dramatically, clearly too excited for his own good. Then his eyes took in his friend’s state of undress, and he flushed.

The blond groaned and slunk into the bathroom, ignoring Yamaguchi’s blush at his bare torso. _What a baby - why is he so juvenile? It’s not like it’s anything inappropriate._

Yamaguchi had other reasons to blush, not that he’d ever tell Tsukki any of them.

**. . .**

Ten minutes later saw the unlikely pair sprinting to the campus bus station. Tsukishima hurled the obligatory abuse at Yamaguchi for lateness before turning his wrath on random passerby.

“Look at her - she’s way too fucking nervous, probably never gotten laid or even a boyfriend, with hair like that.”

Yamaguchi snickered - Tsukki’s commentary was always funny, and usually spot-on; the passing girl had hair like a bird’s nest, mouse-brown and straw-like. “Spot on, Tsukki!”

“Shut up.”

“Sorry, Tsukki!”

They snickered together at a trio of ridiculously ‘swag’ teenagers once they got on the bus. The teens stumbled off at the next stop, obviously high. Their spots were taken almost immediately by an odd, bickering duo that had Tsukishima choking on laughter. Yamaguchi had to check several times on Tsukishima’s well-being before succumbing to his own fit of snickering at the loud duo’s expense.

“I beat you to the bus!” shouted the orange-haired boy. His wide eyes and miniature height led Tsukishima to mutter increasingly creative insults, most relating to shrimp, while Yamaguchi alternated between “Nice, Tsukki!”’s, snickers, and a few weak jibes of hs own.

To their collective shock, the two duos transferred buses at the same stations, suspicion mounting at the fourth time they’d switched together. The shrimpy kid, seemingly unable to bear the tension, whirled around and pointed an accusatory finger up at Tsukishima.

“You’ve been following us!” he yelled, leaping up and down.

Before Tsukishima had a chance to gather his composure and respond, the shrimp’s black-haired friend grabbed his companion and physically carried him down the street, chanting “dumbass” as he went. Yamaguchi stared, slack-jawed at their ridiculousness, before being unceremoniously dragged in a similar fashion in the same direction.

“We’ll be even later, idiot.”

“Sorry, Tsukki!”

The walk was pleasantly short, and the pair found Karasuno with relative ease. They turned to face the building, a nondescript concrete wall with black double-doors. They would have been hard to find if not for the posters plastered all over them, advertising the cooking contest.

Wow, they’re desperate, thought Tsukishima. I wonder if anyone else will be here. Before his fingers fully grasped the door handle, the doors were flung outward, and the same oddball duo from the bus was thrown out of the doors, slamming into a startled Yamaguchi. With a yelp, brown hair disappeared in a flurry of black and orange.

After a brief glance to make sure Yamaguchi was okay, Tsukishima turned back to peer threateningly at the trasngressor. “What are you doing?!” he hissed, jerking  a thumb at the lump of squirming bodies on the sidewalk. “My friend could have been hurt.”

“Oh,” the man smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that; I wasn’t expecting anyone else out here. Those two were causing such a racket that I threw them out to resolve their issues before coming back.”

The stern look on the man’s face reminded Tsukishima uncomfortably of his dad - a silly thought, as the man couldn’t have been more than two or three years older than Tsukishima himself.

“Anyway, I’m Sawamura Daichi, captain of the Karasuno Kitchen Crows. Are you here for the tryouts?” The brown-haired, dad-like man gave an encouraging smile.

Just as the thought flashed across Tsukishima’s mind to deny it and make his escape, a sweaty hand slipped into his, as if making sure he didn’t run, and a wavering voice spoke up.

“Yes, that’s - that’s right, that’s why we’re here.” Yamaguchi flushed again - Dammit, he couldn’t stop babbling.

Sawamura’s smile softened at Yamaguchi’s uncertain tone. “Great - we’re glad to have you; come on in!”

As they stepped over the threshold and through a nondescript lobby area, Sawaura continued. “So, I didn’t catch your names…?”

Yamaguchi flushed yet again. How could I have forgotten?

The hand in his - he was momentarily surprised that it was still there - gave a squeeze that would have been called reassuring if it had been from anyone but Tsukki. Yamaguchi marveled at the new phenomenon before Tsukishima’s hand slipped out of his sweaty grasp. Yamaguchi focused on not letting his face fall as Tsukki spoke.

“I’m Tsukishima Kei, and this is Yamaguchi Tadashi. We’re college first-years.”

Sawamura smiled again. “I’m glad younger students are here as well. So - what are your specialties?”

Tsukishima flashed a glance down at his freckled friend, as if asking for confirmation, before responding. “I bake. Yamaguchi here… is most comfortable with, uh, meat entrees.”

Yamaguchi immediately began to panic. Turning wide eyes on his taller friend, he tried to convey what he was feeling without screaming in front of a complete stranger.

_Who said meat?! Why are you making this stuff up?! Tsukki, what are you doing…_

The look in Tsukki’s face quelled him, a look that clearly said, _Trust me, Tadashi._

They reached a metal door that Sawamura pushed his way through. “Welcome to the kitchen!”

Yamaguchi suddenly felt boneless as he stared in awe, jaw dropping open. “Woooaahhh…”

Tsukishima appeared unperturbed, but Yamaguchi caught the gleam in his eyes at the sight and felt like crowing in success. _Tsukki is interested!_

The kitchen was fantastic; a chef’s dream kitchen. Pots and pans glistened from the ceiling, cupboards and shelves lined the walls, stoves and ovens were spread perfectly, and equipment was well-organized and gleamed with polish. The aroma of a cream soup rose to Yamaguchi’s nostrils, and he realized suddenly that there were already people cooking here.

A nervous-looking, brown-haired fellow with side bangs prodded a pot of soup with a wooden spoon, brow furrowed in concentration as a silver-haired man peered inside the pot. At the crash of the door closing, both men jumped and turned.

“Ah, Daichi!  More recruits?” inquired the silver-haired man.

Sawamura grinned. “Yup, dessert and entree! Two more are outside, ah… resolving their differences. I left them to it.” He turned back to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. “This is Sugawara Koushi, but we just call him Suga. He’s our vice-captain.”

Suga had already turned back to the nervous soup-man, giving gentle advice with a kind smile. Yamaguchi felt oddly reminded of his mother, though he recoiled at the thought - Suga wasn’t even a girl!

His thoughts were interrupted by a bored-looking Tsukishima. “So… do we automatically make the team? He said we were recruits.”

“Ah…” the Captain looked abashed. “Well, we advertised this as a try-out, but we don’t have enough people, so it’s more of a ‘we let you in, but you cook for us anyway so we can assess your strengths.’ So, if you’ll follow me…”

He led the pair over to an area with a back-to-back stove and oven. “You guys can cook your favorite dishes. It can be whatever you’d like - something that shows off your strengths as a chef. The pantry is over there,” he motioned to a large white door that looked ready to burst off its hinges “fridge is to the right, and seasonings and supplies are in the cupboards. Any questions?”

Yamaguchi looked so overwhelmed that Tsukishima took pity on him and stepped in. “No, other than this: is there a time limit?”

At the captain’s head shake, he turned to Yamaguchi.

“All right… Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY you can probably tell I wrote this at 2AM. But I felt horrible for leaving this so long without an update, so here you go! Kudos and comments appreciated :)


End file.
